INTEGRATION PROCESSES IN EUROPEAN UNION SECONDARY EDUCATION: PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING THE INDICATORS OF THE EUROPEAN EDUCATION AREA

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the New Ukrainian School reform, which lays the groundwork for the integration of Ukraine's secondary education into the European Education Area. The purpose of the article is to analyze the key aspects of integration processes in secondary education in the EU Member States in the context of the European Education Area development, which is proclaimed as the goal of European cooperation in the field of education and training by 2030. To achieve this goal, the following groups of sources were analyzed: EU documents that define the European policy in the field of secondary education and the directions of its development until 2030; legislative and regulatory documents of Ukraine that form the legal basis for reforming the Ukrainian education system, its modernization, quality and accessibility in accordance with EU requirements; works of foreign researchers on the integration of education and training, which outline key challenges and prospects within the framework of European integration processes in education; works by Ukrainian comparativists analyzing the processes of European integration in, harmonization of educational standards with European ones, etc. For this study, the method of comparative analysis was used to compare the state of secondary education and its compliance with the requirements of the European Education Area in different EU countries, and the results of the analysis of general trends and prospects for further integration of the educational systems of the EU Member States in the context of the single European Education Area formation and Ukraine's consideration of promising benchmarks and practices were summarized on the basis of synthesis. It is revealed that integration processes at the secondary education level are a component of integration processes at other educational levels. The purpose of such integration is to build the European Education Area, as defined in the current Strategy for European Cooperation in Education and Training for the period 2021-2030. The article characterizes the factors that led to the integration processes in EU secondary education (political, economic, socio-cultural, technological/digital integration of member states). It is concluded that integration processes in education focus on harmonizing standards to improve the quality and accessibility of education. An open method of coordination and the use of data for benchmarking are key tools to achieve these goals. At the same time, European integration of education involves balancing the EU's policy guidelines with the national priorities of each member state, which is an important signal for Ukraine. The current European Cooperation Program for Education and Training until 2030 aims to create a European Education Area, which is designed to promote the quality of education and equal opportunities in education in the EU member states. The key benchmarks for integration processes in secondary education in the European Cooperation in Education and Training Program until 2030 include: enrollment of children in preschool education to prepare them for school; secondary education for young people; reading, mathematical and natural science literacy for 15-year-olds; and computer and information literacy for eighth-graders. If Ukraine takes into account these guidelines, it will contribute to the successful implementation of the New Ukrainian School reform and strengthen the European identity of young Ukrainians. This will ensure the integration of national education into the European Education Area at the level of other member states.